Bob

Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin Steaks

Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin SteaksA few weeks ago, I spotted some heart-of-the-tenderloin beef steaks (filet mignon) in the butcher case at the supermarket. We had something else planned for the weekend cooking then, but regardless, I bought them and put them in the freezer for a later date. Well, here we are in Memorial Day Weekend grilling mode and those steaks made for a great grilling experience. Verna wrapped the steaks in slices of bacon before I took them to the grill.

The meal was awesome! Verna had some roasted sweet and red potatoes on the side and I roasted some corn cobs on the grill while the steaks were cooking. The results were DELICIOUS!

Click here for pix of the weekend cooking.

Curve Billed Thrasher

Curve Billed Thrasher

Verna thinks that we have had a “bumper crop” of birds and other critters this spring. We witnessed three of these curve billed thrashers as eggs in the nest, hatchlings begging to be fed and as fledgelings just leaving the nest.

We especially note a lot of juvenile Gambel’s quail running around with their parents, sometimes as many as a dozen. I will post photos of these camera-shy little quail when and if I can.

I took this photo of a thrasher atop the crook upon which hangs the block and bell seed feeders. The bird was waiting its turn as another thrasher was on the bell pecking below. Click on the image to enlarge.

Spring Saguaro Flowers and Moonset

Spring Saguaro Flowers and Moonset

As I took the dogs out for their first morning walk today, I noticed the moon was perfectly placed behind Verna’s big saguaro cactus, so I stopped and snapped this photo with my little pocket camera. There were a lot of open flowers today, further enhancing the moon’s effect on the photo. Not bad for a little cheapie digital camera. Click on the image to enlarge.

Compass Cactus Flowers

Compass Cactus Flowers

I hiked up the hill behind the house today to see if our compass cactus had any flowers. I wasn’t disappointed – the cactus had two flowers open and more to come. The flowers and buds are arranged in a circle around the crown of the barrel. Click on the image to enlarge.

Queen of the Night Flower Buds

Flower Buds

I happened to be up by the west property line where one of our Queen of the Night cacti lives. I was happy to see a flower bud growing again this year. I took a snapshot of the cactus and upon later inspection I found what appear to be two other buds forming. The bud I noticed is circled in the image above and the two suspected buds to be are indicated by arrows. Click on the image to enlarge.

Last year’s flowers from this cactus may be seen here.

Lizard Sunning On A Rock

Lizard

I couldn’t positively identify the species of this lizard from the little desert guide book we have. Nonetheless, it just sat on the river rocks in front of the house watching me as I sprayed for weeds in the rock garden. It didn’t flinch when I took out my little camera and snapped this photo. It only moved when I had to climb up on the rocks to spray a weed higher up. Click on the image to enlarge.